ALAN SMITH has jumped to the defence of Rio Ferdinand after he was booed by Manchester United fans, claiming his old friend wants to stay at Old Trafford.

Ferdinand came under fire from United supporters during Sunday's win over Charlton and they are angry he has not yet signed his new contract.

The fans are uneasy over his meetings with Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon and want him to repay the loyalty the club showed him during his ban for missing a drugs test by agreeing a new deal.

Smith has known Ferdinand since they were at Leeds together and he said: "I'm a close mate of Rio and he's told all of us in the dressing room he's going to sign his new contract.

"There's no need for anyone to panic about it."

United have offered Ferdinand, whose current deal expires in 2007, a three-year extension worth nearly #100,000-a-week and boss Sir Alex Ferguson has told the defender he wants a decision from him before the FA Cup Final.

Ferdinand's standing among the fans is bound to fall even further with every week he delays and the sorry saga is jeopardising his long-term chances of succeeding Roy Keane as skipper.

Smith, who scored his first goal of 2005 against Charlton, also feels United's 4-0 victory at The Valley has sent out a message to Chelsea that the Reds are not finished.

He added: "Chelsea won the title and credit to them, but we just wanted to remind everyone Manchester United are a force to be reckoned with."